The four soldiers were members of Company B, 2nd Battalion, 121st Infantry Regiment, 48th Brigade Combat Team. They were killed when their HUMVEE was struck by an improvised explosive device while on patrol near Baghdad, Iraq.

“These Soldiers died doing what they believed in. They died in pursuit of freedom for Iraqi citizens, and to protect Americans from terrorism,” said Maj. Gen. David B. Poythress, Georgia’s Adjutant General. “This is a tragic time for all of us, but we will come together as a National Guard family to provide whatever support we can for the families and loved ones of these brave heroes.”

More than 7,000 members of the Georgia Army and Air National Guard have mobilized in the past three years to support the Global War on Terror. They include more than 3,000 members of the 48th Brigade Combat Team who deployed to Iraq in May, as part of the largest mobilization of Georgia National Guard Soldiers into a combat zone since World War II